The Changes We See
by dingdonger
Summary: Naruto has upped and left behind everything he's ever known. Starting afresh in the sheltered town of Henkō seemed to promise him all the peace and quiet he wasn't able to attain after the war had finally ended. However, an unexpected visit from the one person who least understood the meaning of 'loyalty' could serve to change his future in unprecedented ways.
1. Before the Rain

Chapter 1 – Before the Rain

_We knew it would rain, for all the morn  
__A spirit on slender ropes of mist  
__Was lowering its golden buckets down  
__Into the vapory amethyst. – _Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Rating subject to change as we move further along into the story. Events take place after the end of the Shinobi World War.

**Disclaimer**: Everything about Naruto belongs to the fantastic Masashi Kishimoto-san. I own nothing, and never will.

* * *

"Naruto, please take this to table seven."

Startled out of his reveries, the blond quickly pulled away from his place in front of the large veranda windows and turned to face his manager with a grin.

"Aaarrriii," he whined. "It's so gloomy outside. I think it's going to rain soon and I don't have an umbrella."

Ari was a man who was around the same age as Naruto himself, though slightly less built and possibly half an inch shorter (they could never quite agree on this point; Ari had insisted they were the same height). He had short, sand-colored hair with a fringe that hid most of his forehead, and the most stunningly deep violet eyes warmed with specks of amber.

"Shame. The tea's starting to cool and you know how I hate that."

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Naruto grabbed the tray haphazardly, managing - remarkably - to not spill a single drop despite his violent movements. Muttering under his breath, he ambled over to the nearby booth with a bright smile, releasing a quick flood of warmth from his hand to each cup as he set it down on the table. If Ari saw the faint blue light that glowed as Naruto came into contact with the small dish, he didn't say anything.

Naruto watched as the customer hummed in pleasure once the soothing liquid reached her lips, keeping eyes closed while she breathed in the faint aroma of one of their special house blends.

"Exquisite." She murmured, "and fantastically warm; steaming still. Thank you."

"Enjoy!" He beamed at the elderly couple sitting across from each other and made his way back to the counter.

"Did you hear that? _Fantastically warm; steaming still_." Ari shot him a glare, but the amusement in his eyes gave him away.

"Good to hear; I had hoped it wouldn't be too difficult a task."

"Ha. Ha."

The blonde stuck his tongue out defiantly at his boss before turning to check the clock hanging over the various kettles of tea. He would have to leave now, if he didn't want to be late for his next appointment.

"I've got to go now; be back soon!" He shouted, waving a quick hand in goodbye over his head as he flew past the tables.

Bristling slightly after stepping out into the fresh air, Naruto made a mental note to grab an umbrella on his way back for his second shift. Thinking back on it now, he was incredibly lucky to have met someone like Ari. It was clear that the manager was not from the small town, but all the villagers seemed to accept him, his stylish fashion, and his modestly decorated tea parlor as though it had been there their whole lives. Naruto was certain that Ari had secrets he guarded close; he didn't even know the man's full name for God's sake. But it didn't matter, no questions asked meant no questions raised, and that was something Naruto was completely fine with. It allowed him to get a job at the small shop without providing anything other than his own willingness to work.

As the blond made his way through the small village, it was quite clear that most of the passerby were completely ignoring him. There were a few hi's and hello's here and there from close acquaintances or past customers, but otherwise no one even bothered to glance at him or his eye-catching bright features. This didn't seem to faze him at all. In fact, he appeared to be rather enjoying the lack of attention – a rare sight.

"Watch where you're going!" He had accidentally bumped into a red-haired stranger while lost in his own thoughts.

"Oomph-! Ah geez, sorry! My bad."

Had anyone been watching Naruto at that moment, they might've seen the odd hand-signs he made behind his back, or the way the stranger's eyes glazed over when he tried to focus them on the Naruto's face. As it were, no one made any signs of acknowledgment toward the small commotion, and the red-haired man turned away without another word. A mysterious smile flashed across Naruto's face as he continued on his way.

It wasn't fair, he knew, of him to be doing this. Highly unethical too, but he just couldn't help it. In the small town of Henkō, no one had heard of the great Uzumaki Naruto that played such a large role in the Shinobi World War, and he liked to keep it that way. Trivial slips meant increased chances of discovery, and the small sanctuary he had found here was worth too much to be jeopardized over something stupid – like being exposed just because someone had once heard of his legend in passing. And, if that meant he had to abuse his power in minor ways that made people unable to recognize him, unable to focus on his image for long periods of time when they tried to recall his features, then so be it. It was a simple yet extremely effective genjutsu.

The first few drops of rain tapped against the bare skin of his arm, reminding him of his current task.

"Craaap, I'm going to be late!" Cursing his bad luck, Naruto sprinted towards his destination, the light rain doing nothing to dim his good mood.

...

_12:47am_

The eerie neon green of the numbers stuck out in stark contrast against its surrounding darkness. Naruto was lying in his bed, two hands cushioning the back of his head for comfort. He looked up towards the ceiling, eyes unfocused, as he replayed the day's events in his head. It was a habit of his that helped soothe him before he went to sleep and prevented any unwelcomed thoughts from entering.

_Woke up. Went to Takahashi-san's place, fixed his windows. Ate breakfast. Worked a shift at the café. Ate lunch. Went to Mari-chan's and walked her dog. Worked another shift at the café; got teased by Ari… _

He felt a little warmth flicker in his chest. Whether it was affection or attraction, he couldn't be sure, but something about Ari gave him a strong feeling of comfort and camaraderie.

_Hmm, where was I. Oh yeah, Ari. Then… went to clean out Seto-san's rain gutters. Nasty stuff. Then what… I think I… Mmm... _

Long blond lashes batted lazily over his bottom lid. With the ghost of a grin still lingering on his lips, Naruto felt the tendrils of exhaustion claiming him, and he happily obliged.

That night, however, his dreams would be plagued with flashes of red and tears.

...

Two hooded figures loomed over a battered wooden sign with the word "Henkō" clumsily etched onto it. Their black cloaks seemed to be extensions of the night sky, shrouding the two in complete darkness save for the few red clouds adorning it.

"This is the place?"

"That's where Tsunade –er- Hokage-sama said we should go." There was some faint rustling as some papers were pulled out of a cloak. "Yes, 'Shintou Watanabe' I believe, from the Hidden Village of Stone."

"Hn. Has she set up a hostel?"

"Yes, it should be close; beside a small tea house."

The silent figure nodded courtly. "We are the first…?"

"Ah, no, not quite. There have been shinobi who've frequented here before us, though their numbers are extremely few. I think two at most in the past three years. But they've kept their cover well; there seems to be an unspoken rule that this village remains unexposed to any outside influence. As such, they still do not know of our presence." Another nod was his response.

"Let's go then." Without another word, the two simply vanished into thin air, leaving behind no trace of their existence.

...

"Aaaaariiiiiiiiii," Naruto whined his boss' name, as was the norm these days. "Ari I'm so tired."

Ari looked at him with a blank face.

"Oh Ari, you're so cold to me. Such a fiend, you are. A breaker of pure maidens' hearts." He gave a melodramatic sigh, and made a keening sound. "You know, one day I'm going to make you fall for me."

The ensuing snort was so loud that a couple of customers started from their seats. An indignant Naruto began to furiously proclaim the ways in which he was going to ensnare Ari within his grasp, completely ignorant of the two newcomers that had entered.

"… And then, I'm going to make sweet love to you and I'm going to be DAMN good at it – don't give me that look – it'll be mind-blowing okay. There is going to be a freaking flock of birds _humping_ our windows in the morning, all vying for a chance to sing sweet praise to our love."

"Er, excuse me?"

"What?" Naruto snapped, turning around only to find himself staring into the chest of a beast of a man. He had kind eyes that were slightly crossed; most likely an aftereffect of listening to one of Naruto's speeches for too long. His hair was bright orange in color and was spiked up in all directions, a style Naruto greatly approved of.

"Oh geez, sorry my stylish fellow." The 'stylish fellow' looked around in confusion, not quite sure if he was being addressed. "Did you want to order something?"

"Ah, yes. I would like a pot of lemon and chamomile tea please, and my companion would like a pot of black."

"Yosh! Sounds good. I'll get it to you as soon as it's ready!"

Naruto turned to find Ari already deep in concentration as he prepared their orders. He loved watching his boss at work; there was something magical and entrancing about the way he moved. The gentle caress of his fingers as they sifted over the tealeaves created the faint illusion of them appearing to move on their own.

A couple of minutes later, the tea was ready. Its fragrant aroma rose and joined the sweet mélange of exotic scents wafting through the room. Naruto quickly picked up the tray and brought it to the back corner of the room, the very last booth.

"Couldn't we stay a while longer? This place is so calming." Naruto smiled as he approached their table; he understood the stylish man's feelings quite well. It was the very same sentiments that attracted he himself to this village after all.

"Here is your tea!" He chirped happily as he placed the tray on their table, eyes snapped shut in the shape of two upside-down 'u's.

"Thank you very much… I got the black for you, Sasuke, I know you don't like anything too bland."

Sasuke.

In that brief moment, time stopped inside Naruto's mind. He felt himself splitting into two separate beings, one of which had dropped the tray with the fresh tea on it and reeled back in shock and disbelief. He could hear it so clearly, as if the sound was isolated; the shatter of porcelain against marble.

_No…_

The next second he was back in the present and the tea was sitting there on the tray safe and sound, untouched. Suddenly, taking the cups off the tray and placing them on to the tabletop felt like an impossibly Herculean task. He kept his face an unmoving mask, eyes now shut in tight slits for entirely different reasons.

"If there's anything else you need…!" Surely they could hear the tremors in his voice? The odd falsetto tone it took.

"No, no. That will be all. Oh, but wait, how rude of me not to have introduced myself: I am Jugo." Naruto kept smiling. How odd it was that the world would continue on with its monotonous introductions and fleeting customs when only short seconds ago Naruto felt as though his very being had been torn.

"Not at all, Jugo-san. My name is Naruto!" And he finally opened his eyes, partially in fear and partially out of a perverse need to realize those fears. Whatever happened next, he couldn't afford to be caught off-guard.

"Great, well, thank you very much again, Naruto-san."

"Just Naruto is fine!"

Before he left, and Naruto made sure to shoot a quick look at Sasuke just because. Because he wanted to watch his world crumble when it did, and he didn't want to be caught like a thief avoiding the eyes of a reprimanding adult.

But Sasuke hadn't looked up. He sat in his corner of the booth, unmoving with his head leaned back against the wall and eyes closed, utterly unaffected. Naruto bowed slowly towards Jugo and walked away from their table.

Sasuke looked the same. Of course he did, they had passed the age where a few years of separation meant the birth of a whole new identity, but it was shocking still. To see him, for all intents and purposes, the same as the boy who left Team Seven years ago, the same as the man who returned to fight for Konoha when it seemed like the war would not end. The long black fringes framing the sides of his face... God, even the duck-butt. The duck-butt was there.

Naruto made a beeline for the washroom and fell back against the door as soon as he shut and locked it, slowly sliding downwards until he hit the ground. Jesus. Could he still call it that, a 'duck-butt'? Wasn't that something from the past, when their relationship was still simple and sweet, as children were?

He closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind: focus on what was important. His genjutsu had worked. Granted, it was probably largely due to the fact that Sasuke hadn't even opened his eyes, but the small addendum he had made to the syllables of his own name proved to be quite sturdy. It had held up against two shinobi from Konoha who lived and breathed the war at one point.

Prioritize. That was key here. Regardless of why they were here, all he had to do for now was act normal and try not to attract any unnecessary attention. No point taking drastic measures when nothing had even happened yet.

Whispering a quick 'dattebayo!' to himself, Naruto slowly pushed up from the ground and went over to the sink to splash his face with cold water. He remembered to flush before he exited the washroom (dispel any suspicion), and made absolute certain to keep his eyes from wandering as he slipped back into his seat by the counter. His heart was pounding so hard his vision began to swim a little. Seriously? He had once been up against some of the most powerful men to ever exist, for Christ's sake! This was not okay.

"Goodbye Naruto, and thank you both again for the wonderful tea."

Breath. Breath.

"No problem Jugo-san! Have a great day; come again soon!" Or not. Preferably never.

The quivering pile of blond hair and stringent muscles waved a stiff yet nonetheless enthusiastic hand at his new acquaintance. _Just a few more steps and out the door you go, into your world and out of mine…_

Without warning, azure eyes accidentally locked on to obsidian ones, and the small ship of relief within Naruto's mind that had been so close - _so freaking close_ - to setting sail suddenly capsized. There was a faint, almost imperceptible pause in Sasuke's step. It was the goddam rivalry; Naruto could almost feel the familiar buzz of competition, stirring sluggishly now underneath layers of unfamiliarity built up through too many years of separation.

Naruto watched with bated breath as Sasuke slowly – it seemed like ages – tore his head away and followed Jugo out the door. It could've been imagined, but he swore he saw Sasuke's eyes narrow a fraction of an inch before he turned.

Shit.

He barely registered the sound of footsteps padding over to his side.

"Naruto! Are you alright?" Ari questioned, an unmistakable note of worry in his voice.

Just a little while longer - he needed more time to recover.

"Naruto?"

"Hnrrg. Yeah. Yes, I'm fine. Just last night catching up to me, I think. Couldn't sleep the whole night." Damn it, his voice sounded embarrassingly strained.

"You should go home then. Take the day off. I can handle it in here fine on my own."

"Yeah... actually. That'd be awesome, Ari, thank you so much. I just need to rest a little and I'll be good as new again." How he fervently hoped that would prove to be true. Ari gave him a light pat on the head, and Naruto flashed him the most grateful look he could muster up at the moment. Surely, with some luck and well planning, he would be able to repay that kindness one day.

...

"Sasuke, what is it?" Jugo enquired, a few lines of worry creasing his brows. "You're hardly ever distracted. Did you feel Watanabe's chakra signature?"

"No."

"A different missing-nin?" He supplied, feeling somewhat puzzled by this Sasuke that was suddenly an odd mixture of frustration and annoyance.

"No."

"Hmm," Jugo was completely perplexed. "Well, was it something important?"

"I don't know." Sasuke snarled and snaked ahead, signaling the end of their brief conversation.

...

On his way home, Naruto replayed the day's events again and again in his mind until it felt like he could see nothing but deep black eyes that flashed with the barest hint of recognition. Naruto cursed all the years he spent searching for the stupid raven who constantly eluded him. Through his inability to accept failure he had unknowingly created a bond that now jeopardized the new life he had grew accustomed to, and enjoyed. It was scary, how strongly he was affected by the other boy. He couldn't even break free of his frightened trance long enough to perform the necessary hand-signs to strengthen his genjutsu.

There were two things that could happen now. Sasuke could either revisit the teashop, letting his curiosity get the best of him, and Naruto would be ultimately forced into doing something drastic. Or, Sasuke and Jugo would finish whatever the hell they're here for and leave the town undisturbed. The second option seemed increasingly unlikely, considering the way Sasuke seemed to reappear in his life every time he made a conscious effort to be rid of him. Here he was again, reluctantly waiting for Sasuke to make the first move...

But it didn't matter; he couldn't let it matter. He would just have to be ready for Sasuke's next move, whatever it happened to be.

Just, please God, don't let him end up doing anything too stupid.

* * *

Hope the first chapter was to your liking! :) This is going to be somewhat of a longer fic, so bear with me and the slower developments.

Just a minor spoiler: Trying my best not to give away anything here, but Ari isn't _really_ an OC... Regardless, his role in the central plot will be limited. Don't worry, Sasuke'll get more 'screen-time' soon.

Also, if anyone is interested in beta-ing, please let me know! It would be great if you could send in a sample of your work as well, but that's completely up to you.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_I have wished a bird would fly away, _  
_And not sing by my house all day;_

_Have clapped my hands at him from the door_  
_When it seemed as if I could bear no more. _

_The fault must partly have been in me._  
_The bird was not to blame for his key. _

_And of course there must be something wrong_  
_In wanting to silence any song.- _A Minor Bird, Robert Frost

**Disclaimer**: Naruto and all its fantastically lovable characters belong to the amazing Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing and never shall.

* * *

If Sasuke and Jugo visited the teashop after that first time, Naruto wasn't there to meet them. He worked shifts at Ari's small establishment as usual, deciding that it would be too suspicious for him to disappear after that one brief, albeit jarring, meeting.

So, he lived as he would normally. He helped the villagers with their day-to-day problems, taking a little greater care to avoid any work that required too much one-on-one interaction. It was almost as if he could forget anything in particular had happened at all. Perhaps Sasuke and Jugo have already left, disappearing in the same mysterious fashion they had appeared in the first place.

But it wasn't true, and the same part of him that was conscious of the suffocating feeling in his outwardly unaffected life knew this for a fact. If nothing else, his nightmares were becoming more and more frequent and nothing he tried could keep the unblinking red eyes at bay.

Naruto quickly shook his head, reminding himself of where he was. It wouldn't do to keep zoning out like that in public. He walked towards the cashier at the restaurant he was currently in.

"Hello! Welcome to Shin-chan's Noodle Emporium! How may I help you today?"

"Just three bowls of miso ramen to go, please!" He replied with a broad grin. His current dilemma be damned, three bowls of his favorite ramen meant that it was going to be a good night.

"Alright, thank you! Here is your number; we'll call it when your order is ready. Next!"

…

Sasuke and Jugo sat in the corner of the rather flashy dining establishment they had decided to visit for dinner. Neither of the two men were in a particularly good mood as the week had offered no leads at all in terms of their current mission.

"I'm correct in assuming that your animals have found no further clues?" Sasuke spoke up, deciding to break the uncomfortable silence that engulfed the two shinobi.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I've sent them out to check all of the hotels and inns located around town, but they haven't picked up on anything suspicious. This guy is either really good at blending in or we've already missed him." Replied Jugo.

Sasuke frowned in response. It seemed like this one would take a bit longer, then. Usually they were able to bring back their target within four or five days, but this time… He grinded his teeth against each other.

"Damn this place."

Jugo sighed audibly. "I must agree. It's incredibly frustrating not being allowed to use any… well, you know. It wouldn't be so bad if we were just touring, but in our current situation, I can't even tell if we're just wasting time."

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, a sign of his escalating agitation. He hated not being in control of the situation and it seethed him to acknowledge the fact that they might have to go back empty-handed.

"We should stay one more night. If nothing else comes up, we'll leave in the morning and check the surrounding area."

"Sounds good." Was Jugo's reply, and the two fell back to silence as they waited for the food to arrive.

Truth be told, Sasuke was annoyed for another reason entirely unrelated to their current mission. He couldn't quite explain what it was, but he was sure the source of his uneasiness could be traced back to the meeting with that blond employee at the tea parlor. It didn't make sense because he didn't recognize the man from anytime in his past, but he swore something stirred within him when they made eye contact.

What mystified him the most, however, was the fact that every time he tried to remember what the blond had looked like, the image felt like it was grew more and more distant. Sometimes he couldn't even be sure if the man was indeed a blond. The only feature he was absolutely certain of was those bright, startlingly blue eyes. There was such a strong urge to activate his sharingan every time those eyes popped up in the dark expanse of his mind – it dizzied him to have to consistently hold back his bloodline limit.

"Here is your order! Sorry for the wait, we have one plain and one spicy Shin-chan's house-special ramen." Squeaked the waitress, skidding to a crisp stop in front of their table on her roller-skates.

"Yes, yes. The spicy one is my companion's, the plain is mine." Jugo supplied amicably.

"Alright then! Enjoy your meal and have a good night!" She gave a small wave and rolled back in to the kitchen.

Jugo closed his eyes and murmured what sounded like a quick prayer before snapping his chopsticks and digging in to his meal. Sasuke followed suit, though he only shut his eyes a fraction of a moment longer than a blink before starting on the bowl placed in front of him.

As time passed, more and more people left while the clock ticked on. Soon enough, Sasuke and Jugo were one of the only tables left. The introverted Uchiha could never admit this, but he rather enjoyed the times when he could eat out in a place where no one recognized him. It was nice to be able to enjoy a meal without feeling the eyes of everyone else in the restaurant burning in to the back of his head. He figured that Jugo must've had similar sentiments, as his former teammate was taking his sweet time with his own meal as well.

A bell jingled behind them, signaling the arrival of a new customer.

"Hello! Welcome to Shin-chan's Noodle Emporium! How may I help you today?" The waitress' unnaturally loud voice cut across the near-empty room.

"Just three bowls of miso ramen to go, please!"

It took all the control he had not to visibly twitch in his seat. Well this was an interesting development. Hopefully Jugo would realize who had entered and call the boy over so Sasuke could satisfy his curiosity.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jugo look up and fix his stare at the place where Naruto was presumably standing.

"Naruto-san! Is that you?" Perfect.

"Ah, yes, Jugo-san! Nice to see you again." Was it his imagination or did the blond sound a little nervous?

Sasuke stilled to the sound of footsteps making their way over to the table. He didn't understand why his body began tensing up, although rather sluggishly, as if in some previously well-practiced reflex. It was all so _familiar_.

"Good to see you too, Naruto-san. We've been so busy touring around that we haven't had time to go back and visit the store. How is business going?"

"It's been great, as usual! Ari's really done an amazing job with the shop; he's got a lot of regulars now. And it's awesome that you guys are here sightseeing! How's your trip been so far? This is a smaller town so there isn't really all that much to do I suppose…" The voice was starting to relax some more, which faintly annoyed Sasuke for some bizarre reason.

"Are you from here?" Sasuke interjected before Jugo could give a reply. As the raven looked up from the table, he caught a brief glance of his partner's eyes widening in surprise. It was rare to see Sasuke displaying interest in anything other than what was strictly related to their mission.

"Oh no, not quite." Naruto's voice remained strong and steadfast. "My father died when I was still young and my mother went on to marry some businessman from a nearby country. She left me some money and moved in to his place. I travelled around quite a bit before finally settling here."

"I'm sorry to hear that, sounds like you've had a difficult past." Jugo murmured.

Naruto shrugged in reply. "It wasn't so bad. Besides, I'm doing pretty damn well now so I can't really complain."

Sasuke said nothing, but simply sat and stared. He was completely focused on the man standing in front of him, yet it felt like he was looking at him through his peripheral vision. If he didn't know any better, Sasuke would've said that the blond appeared to be blurring. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, he watched as Naruto casually raised a hand to scratch the back of his head.

A small, barely perceptible breeze caught his attention, and he turned his head in the direction of the door.

"Well, I'm going to go check and see how my order's doing! It's late and I really should be getting home soon – got to hate those early morning shifts. It was awesome seeing the two of you again though! Come visit us at the shop when you're free." Naruto slid away from their table and walked over to pick up his order from the front. After grabbing what looked like three bowls of ramen stacked haphazardly in two layers of plastic bags, he quickly left the restaurant; a small tinkling of the bell signaling his departure.

Sasuke finally tore his eyes away from the door and turned around to face Jugo.

"What a good kid. You seem to have taken an interest in him too, Sasuke."

He frowned slightly in response. "Something felt off about him. That story sounded like it was rehearsed."

"Really? Interesting, I hadn't noticed anything strange. Do you think he could be our missing-nin in disguise?" Sasuke shook his head.

"No, that wasn't it. To completely change his appearance to everyone for such an extended period of time, he would need to use a lot of chakra. We would've noticed something."

"Perhaps he has his own secrets he doesn't want people to know. At any rate, he seemed nice enough and if he doesn't have anything to do with our current mission, we should just leave him be." Jugo reasoned, although Sasuke didn't look entirely convinced. He gave a curt nod and the two said nothing more on the issue. They quickly paid the bill and hurried back to the hostel.

Maybe Jugo was right, and he was just overthinking it. Whatever the case may be, Sasuke was sure everything would sort itself out once he left this god-forsaken place.

…

Naruto couldn't help but shiver a little despite having covered himself in layers of blankets. Today hadn't ended the way he'd hoped, and in one fell swoop Sasuke managed to bring to light all of his suppressed worries and fears. Thank God he had made up that story about his parents years before, when he first made up his mind to settle in here. The sheer amount of times he practiced it in front of the mirror alone let him retell the tale with just the right amount of self-pity and deprecation to make it look and sound convincing.

But the worst part was that Sasuke had become suspicious, and a curious Uchiha never boded well. Naruto frowned as he recalled the way his childhood rival had glared at him with such focus and intensity, looking as if he wanted to unearth whatever secret it was that he thought the blond was holding back. Still, it could've gone much worse, and Naruto was immensely proud of the fact that he had maintained enough composure to cast the wind-jutsu that diverted Sasuke's attention. It was a simple one he had taught himself during the times of relaxed and carefree boredom. All the jutsu did was create a small breeze that could provide a momentary distraction, buy it proved quite useful in getting himself out of slightly awkward and unwanted situations.

Sasuke had been diverted just as Naruto had expected, giving himself enough time to make a quick escape. It may not have been the smoothest getaway, but it got the job done.

Now, however, he once again felt the fear coiling deep inside his stomach, and rolled over on the bed so he faced the wall. There was nothing to be done at this point. The genjutsu he used was a simple one that allowed him to distort his image in unnoticeable ways, creating the faint illusion of one staring through a mirage. Changing the frequency of his name took a lot longer to master. Nevertheless, he worked hard enough to ensure that people were unable to match the name that was spoken (Naruto hadn't wanted to change his given name) to the hero of Konoha. He had picked up these tips from other traveling shinobi he met, who also wanted their identities concealed for one reason or the other. It was also one of them who first told him about 'Henkō', the ostracized little village situated on the outskirts of the whole shinobi continent, a place that served as a small subculture of the lands that existed outside of the world Naruto grew up in.

At first, Naruto had found many of their customs strange and the inability to use his chakra freely hindering to his daily lifestyle. Regardless, he stuck with it and soon got used to this largely "normal" (by their definition) way of life. There was little in the world that could make him want to give up what he had here.

Ah, but it would be a lie to say that he himself wasn't curious of the going-ons back home. It returned with great fervor upon his one-sided meeting with Sasuke. Knowing what recognition by his former teammate could cost him, Naruto fervently denied himself the luxury of nurturing any bud of curiosity that may have sprouted as a result. His self-discipline was strong, but couldn't prevent the intrusive thoughts that sometimes forced itself into his mind at random intervals.

Sasuke and Jugo seemed to be here on a mission, though what it entailed exactly was still a complete mystery to Naruto… Of course, to be completely honest, that wasn't _all_ he wanted to know.

What had Sasuke been doing since the war ended? Did he remain in Konoha? Why the hell did the incomprehensible bastard decide to simply switch sides at the very last minute? Helping the village he once vowed to destroy… So many questions with next to no leads. Naruto wanted at once to know everything and absolutely nothing. Part of him craved for information, answers to the questions he had never been able to let go of. But his rational side, the side that told him all those years back to finally let go of Sakura when it seemed she would never return his feelings, remained absolutely firm in believing that the less he knew, the better. Anything more could damage all he had worked towards these past few years.

Letting out a deep sigh much too mature for his age, Naruto pushed up from his current position and started rummaging through the bedside table drawer. He took out a nearly empty bottle of eggshell colored pills and unscrewed the cap before popping one in his mouth. A little assurance to make sure he had a dreamless sleep tonight. For the next couple of days, he was going to need all the strength he could get.

…

Today, sitting in the little teashop that had brought him so much pleasure the first time he visited, Jugo was not having a good time. This was entirely due to the foul mood of the man who sat across from him. Any passerby would've said that he looked rather relaxed, if not slightly displeased, and unaffected by anything around him. Jugo would say that they were terribly, terribly wrong.

After years of camping out and sharing rooms with the raven, Jugo knew better than to believe in the image of nonchalance his partner was currently portraying. If he looked close enough, he could see taunt muscles that tightened the skin around the Sasuke's eyes, and a slight dip at the corners of his mouth only a fraction lower than his usual frown. That meant Sasuke was in a crap mood, and he wasn't always a fantastic brooder.

Jugo shifted slightly and turned to peek at the current object of Sasuke's irritation, a short blond with a broad grin plastered on his face. He hadn't seen this kind of grim determination from his friend in a long time. The weirdest part was, Jugo still didn't understand the other man's fixation on their waiter, and he wasn't even sure if Sasuke himself knew why.

It didn't feel like attraction, though he couldn't quite be sure as he had never seen Sasuke show any displays of affection, or even lust, towards another living being. Of course, he had lain with plenty of women (namely prostitutes) during their time traveling and searching for Itachi, but Sasuke had never shown any real sexual desire towards anyone he slept with. It was really more of a 'chore' he had to do in order to keep his body and powers in control.

Well, whatever this obsession was, Jugo wanted it to be over soon.

"Sasuke, you should drink your tea. It's rude to let it go cold without having any."

Jugo watched as Sasuke replied with a soft 'hmm' and grabbed the cup without tearing his eyes away from Naruto. For on insane second, Jugo wanted to laugh at how utterly ridiculous the situation felt. Last night, after meeting again with the blond, something must've changed or Sasuke must've realized something because he was tracking his target with unnervingly obvious intensity.

On what felt like the other side of a bizarre mirror, Jugo noticed that Naruto was also blatantly ignoring said attention by completely avoiding their table. He laughed as he would normally, smiled and bowed at other customers with a painfully unaffected front. His transparent attempt at feigning normalcy made Jugo feel a faint twinge of sympathy for his new acquaintance. That sort of behavior only served to fuel Sasuke's anger more; if there was one thing the Uchiha couldn't stand, it was being ignored.

"Jugo, call him over." Ah.

"I really don't think that's –"

"Call. Him. Over." The raven ground out.

"Look Sasuke, I'm serious when I say that I don't think it's a good idea to keep bothering the kid. I don't know what you want with him, but if he really has nothing to do with our mission – the _only_ reason we're here – then just let him be."

Sasuke frowned slightly and finally turned his head to face Jugo. "I didn't ask for your opinion. I've met him before and I want to know from where. All you need to do is call fucking him over."

Fine. If he wouldn't listen to logic, then Jugo would simply have to let him deal with the consequences of his own actions.

"Excuse me, could we get some help here?" He waved a hand in the blond's general direction. He was completely ignored, with no sign of acknowledgement. Jugo began to sweat a little.

"Naruto-san? Hello?" Still no response. Oh for Christ's sake, if neither of the two 'men' will be mature about this...

"_Naruto!_" His call was loud enough to attract the attention of several other customers in the shop. Naruto paused mid-step, turned, and slowly walked over to their booth with a forced grin plastered over his face.

"Ah, Jugo-san! My bad, I couldn't hear you over the loud chatter in here." Fake laughter. "What is it you needed?"

"What did you say your name was?" Sasuke interjected, before Jugo could give a reply.

A stray nerve twitched on the waiter's face.

"Excuse me? I'm sure I've introduced myself before, but again: I'm Naruto."

"How old are you?"

"I don't understand your questions. My age has nothing to do with my service, so if we could just keep this professional, that'd be great." To his credit, the blond was still smiling. Perhaps the smile of a soon-to-be pummeled idiot, Jugo lamented. Giving some lip to Sasuke was a brave, but not smart, move.

"Don't give me that crap. Where are you from?"

Naruto was no longer smiling at this point. His words came out slightly strangled and odd. "I told you already. My parents are gone: one dead and the other I don't know where. I traveled around a bit and ended up here. That's it."

"That's a lie."

Sasuke received a growl in reply. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Why would I make up that shit?"

Sasuke shook his head slowly. "I don't know why, but I know you're lying."

"I said I'm not, I don't even freaking know who you are!"

"Bullshit. There's something your hiding."

"I'm not hiding – for fuck's sake, I'm not going to explain myself anymore. I don't know what your problem is, you bastard, and why you keep bothering me like this. Just go take that stick out of your ass and shove it down your throat or whatever, and keep your mouth shut." Naruto finished his rant and stormed away from their table. At this point, everyone's eyes were focused on their corner of the room.

Jugo was shocked to see that Sasuke was already standing up from his seat and could feel the pulses of power emanating from him. Fuck, if he used the sharingan here…

He quickly grabbed the other man's arm and gripped it with enough force to fracture the bone of any normal person. As it was, Sasuke didn't even flinch, though the pressure did manage to capture his attention.

"Don't. Not here."

Slowly, at an almost glacial speed, Jugo felt Sasuke meticulously summoning back his chakra inside their reserves. It thrummed beneath his fingers, which were still wrapped around the Uchiha's arm. He released his hold once he was sure that the latter was calmed down.

During this time, the owner of the tea parlor had moved from his place by the counter to assume a rather intimidating stance beside their table. If the slight furrow in his brows was any indication, Ari did not look pleased.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You are aggravating my sole employee and have become disruptive to the other customers. Please take your things and go at once."

Sasuke snarled softly, and was out the door before Jugo could finish paying his apologies to Ari. Knowing that it would be pointless to say anything more, he soon followed suit, shadowing the tracks of his partner's departure.

"You shouldn't have done that."

There was no reply.

"You lost control, and that could've cost us the exposure of our identities as well as the mission. Sasuke, please, if there's nothing else to do here then I think it's time for us to leave."

He watched his partner's back, noting the way every muscle tensed up. Then, all at once, the pressure was released and he thought he heard a small exhale of breath.

"Sasuke, listen –"

"I get it. Let's go back."

Without another word, the two solemnly made their way back to the place from which they had first arrived, finally leaving behind this town that brought them nothing but more troubles.

…

Since the time he first started working, Naruto had never really had a 'bad' day. Sure, there was the occasional casualty in spilt tea and a smashed cup here and there, but nothing really disturbed his mood and distressed his emotions like today. Fuck the fucking Uchiha. He couldn't recall anyone else since the history of freaking time that could rile him up like this, get under his bones and gnaw at his nerves in quite the same way.

Though the forcefulness of his own reaction to Sasuke's persistent questioning had shocked him at first, thankfully everything turned out fine – with no small part played by Ari. Had he not interfered then and told the two shinobi to leave when he did… Naruto shuddered to think of what could've happened.

After cleaning up the table and apologizing to some of the frightened customers, the rest of the day passed with relative calm. Business had a nice, relaxing flow, despite Naruto's slightly shaky demeanor for the rest of the day. He tried to calm himself down by taking a break and watching the slow ebbing of customers in and out of the shop. A woman and her daughter ordered a pot of citrus tea… an elderly couple that shuffled in to take shelter from the wind… a lone ginger who got some oolong tea and sat alone in a booth by the door… The constant string of people felt endless. It was distantly reassuring to know that the world went on as it would, regardless of whatever he himself felt at the moment.

"Ari, look... I know I've been acting weird these past few days, and I feel like I owe you an explanation." Naruto started, silently noting to himself how heavy each word felt on his tongue.

"I'm going to have to ask you to stop. Naruto, when I hired you what was the one question I asked you?"

"You asked me if I wanted to work." He replied sheepishly.

"Correct, 10 points to Gryffindor." Ari quickly moved on when it was clear Naruto didn't get the reference. "Anyways, my point is, that's all I've ever needed to know. You're a good worker and you work hard – well, moderately hard. It didn't seem like you did anything to piss the guy off, and he looked and sounded like a completely git, therefore in my books he is a git. Anything more is extra."

Naruto felt so moved at that moment he couldn't seem to find the right words to say, so he opted for giving his manager the biggest hug he could muster. Ari's gentle hand awkwardly patted the top of his head.

"Man, if you were a girl Ari, I'd be all over – mmrgh." Naruto was cut off as a hand clamped over his mouth.

"Shh, shh. Don't spoil this."

So Naruto shut up, and they broke away a moment later, both feeling a little more warmth in their hearts than before.

"Yosh! I feel so refreshed. Oh man, it's almost closing time, you want me to start cleaning up here?"

"No, it's fine. I'll wipe off the tables today, you can go to the back and help me wash some cups."

"Alright, sounds good!" Naruto chirped, and took off in the direction of the sink. As he turned on the water, he heard Ari's voice in the background commenting on a customer who had apparently passed out on his seat.

"For God's sake, looks like that oolong didn't help at all… Excuse me! Sir, wake up. We're closed now… Yes, that's right. You've got to leave! … No, you can't sleep here… Oi, no more sake."

Naruto snickered to himself. Ari was going to regret trying to be the nice guy soon enough. Those drunkards who came in here trying to sober up before they went back home to their families were always the hardest to remove.

"Yes, thank you, give me the bottle please… Just… Let go… Ow! Fuck." The sound of shattered glass cut through the silence like lightning, and Naruto was standing beside Ari in a heartbeat.

The drunk had apparently thrown his empty sake bottle at the owner in anger when the latter tried to grab him. The thin layer of porcelain had cracked upon contact with Ari's knee, which was now streaked with blood.

"What the hell is your problem?" Naruto shouted, his anger shooting to a boiling point at the sight of the crimson stain spreading across Ari's pant leg.

"Leavuh… mreugh. Ahlone!" The red-haired man grumbled, letting out a great stink of alcohol every time he opened his mouth. He squinted his eyes at Naruto's face, looking as though he was trying very hard to focus on this new annoyance that had just presented itself.

"H – hyeeey. Yuhr thaht guy… yuh buuhmped into me thaht othurr dyeey." Without warning, he promptly smashed his fist into the table, leaving behind a small dent on the plastic surface. Ari took a sharp intake of breath behind Naruto.

"Ari! Shit, go clean up your cut. I can take care of him."

Suddenly, the drunkard made an incredibly fast move as he slid something from his pocket and chucked it at Ari's feet. Naruto didn't need to turn around and look to see what it was; he could recognize the sound of steel sinking into wood. It was a sound he was well acquainted with.

"No… nohbawdy leabes… stay…"

Mother flippin' shit. How the hell did another shinobi end up here?

"What the fuck… Naruto, did he just throw a knife at me?"

"Leave now. Ari, go to the back, and don't come out until I say it's okay."

"I'm not going leave you here alone with this –" The redhead had pushed himself up from the table,

"ARI. GO." There must've been something in his tone because the manager shot one last surprised look at Naruto before he started running for the back entrance.

"NO. BODY. LEAVES." An errant punch was thrown at the blond with great speed. He managed to dodge at the last second with a light push of chakra in his feet. The fist connected with the back of a booth and managed to make a hole through its thick wooden panels. "You… you dodged."

Naruto realized that the shinobi seemed to be sobering up as the chakra flooded through him. He also couldn't help but notice that something seemed off about his opponent's chakra flow; it was coming in random jagged spikes rather than in continuous streams. Something he would have to figure out later.

"Hey, can you hear me? I don't know what you're doing here, but if you apologize to my friend and promise to leave now and never come back, I'll let you go."

"You must be a shinobi too, to have avoided my attack. Which village are you from?"

"That's none of your business!" Naruto snapped. "I just need you to leave."

"Are you here to capture me? I swear to God I'll fight you."

"No – for fuck's sake, just leave!" Frustration was creeping into his voice.

"But I have no where else to go. Besides, how do I know you don't have people out there waiting to get me?"

If this takes much longer, Ari was really going to get suspicious and Naruto didn't want to have to continuously rely on the other man's kindness.

"I don't give a crap where you go, I _just need you to_ –"

"Doton kengan no jutsu [Fist Rock Technique]" Before Naruto had time to react, a fist of solid stone was coming his way, and he managed to flip back just in time to avoid impact. He winced slightly as some broken fragments of wood scratched the side of his face.

"I'm sorry but I can't trust you now that you know what I am."

Jesus fucking CHRIST. These fucking missing-nin and their tendency towards melodramatics. At least now that he was certain the fight was unavoidable, he could get it over with quickly.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Three identical looking versions of him popped up beside the original. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of that familiar smugness when he saw his opponent's eyes widen in shock.

"I've only heard of two people who can use that technique, and I _know_ you're not the Sandaime Hokage's grandson…" Goddamn. Now it was Naruto's turn to panic over the possibility of his exposed identity.

The three kage bunshin charged towards their target in unison. Two were popped by shuriken that the other shinobi threw in rapid succession, and the third managed to reach close-combat range before it was slashed by a kunai. So he was pretty fast, then.

"Doton: Gōremu no Jutsu [Earth Golem Technique]" Six rock golems slightly larger than the average man ripped through the flooring and pulled themselves up. There were now a few large craters on the ground and a couple of chairs crushed by the summoned creatures' clumsy brute strength. Naruto really had to end this soon, or the whole store was going to be destroyed.

…

Sasuke was already well away from Henkō's borders when a sudden spike in chakra hit him. The raven narrowed his eyes dangerously, and paused in his steps. So their target had been hiding away at the small town this whole time. It was an unfamiliar chakra signature, but it seemed to rumble in the ground underneath him. Definitely someone from the Hidden Village of Stone.

"Did you feel that too?" Sasuke turned towards his partner and gave a curt nod.

"We're going back."

…

Naruto's hands shifted in a flurry of motion as he rapidly called forth six more kage bunshin. He closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of chakra molding in his hands, the incredibly familiar way the soft wisps of wind brushed against his skin as it swirled into a spherical shape. Something stirred deep within him, and the portion of himself that had been in deep slumber tentatively stuck its nose out into the air, taking a whiff of the all-too-recognizable scent of battle.

…

A second pulse of chakra reached Sasuke through the wind, and this time it stopped him in his tracks. There was no mistaking who it belonged to.

"Sasuke?"

"Stay here. Don't follow me." He ordered before taking off in the direction back towards the village, leaving behind a thoroughly confused Jugo.

…

Each clone took aim at their respectful targets, and Naruto himself zeroed in on his opponent, who was currently frozen in a mixture of fear and awe.

"RASENGAN!"

…

Adrenaline pumped through his system as Sasuke sped towards his destination. All the loose ends finally tied together, though nothing was explained and nothing made sense.

God, how many years has it been since he last saw the prospective Rokudaime Hokage? Three? Four? Naruto had vanished shortly after the war ended, and managed to convince Tsunade to keep his whereabouts secret from everyone else in Konoha. The reasons for his abrupt disappearance were never disclosed, not even those closest to him had any idea why the usually hyperactive blond suddenly shut off from all of his friends and teammates.

Tracking down Naruto's chakra signature was easier than anticipated. It seemed like the blond no longer cared about concealing his identity and was ready to deal with the consequences of whatever that ensued. Upon reaching Henkō once more, Sasuke opted to take a slightly less obvious route by leaping from rooftop to rooftop, in order to avoid any unwanted attention.

Soon enough, he found himself standing outside the entrance to the teashop once more.

…

Naruto could feel a low throb of power emanating from the figure standing outside the door. He took a gamble when he chose Ari's safety over his own closely guarded secret, and as a result of his choice he would finally face the man on the other side.

He exhaled loudly, a poor attempt at calming his racing heart. Four years was a long time.

…

Sasuke slowly pushed opened the door, and was momentarily startled by the sight that met him. Gone was the simple yet tasteful décor that gave the small establishment its charm. Instead, fallen debris and rubble dominated the floor space. Large hollows had formed at random places in the ground and almost all the booths had been destroyed.

In the center of it all stood a motionless blond, towering over the limp body of a red-haired man that lay by his feet. His eyes flashed (Sasuke noted this obvious hostility for later), the stunningly blue irises glowing in stark contrast against the putrid colors of dirt surrounding them. Here was the boy that had wanted so badly to be friends with Sasuke, to be acknowledged by him, who eventually dedicated years of lost time searching for him… Looking as though all he wanted was for the Uchiha to disappear.

"Naruto."


End file.
